India vs West Indies: From Shimron Hetmyer to Sheldon Cottrell, five West Indies players to watch out for in T20I series

West Indies come into the India series on the back of a disappointing World Cup campaign. They entered the 50-over big event as one of the outsiders and despite a show of confidence against Pakistan, they slid down to ninth in the final standings. The defeats were riddled with a poor display in all three departments and fitness concerns. Their meeting with India at Old Trafford ended in a crushing 125-run defeat . Now, their focus would be on upping the ante for the defence of their T20 World Cup crown next year. They have brought back experienced franchise globetrotters in allrounder Kieron Pollard and spinner Sunil Narine. Carlos Brathwaite is back as captain. But there is no Chris Gayle in Lauderhill, Florida as he is involved in the Global T20 event in Canada. But the big-hitting opener has been selected for the ODI leg of the tour which follows the three T20Is spread between Florida and Guyana. Shimron Hetmyer  [caption id=“attachment_5717561” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Shimron Hetmyer finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the Caribbean Premier League in 2018. AFP[/caption] At the top of the order, Hetmyer is an asset for West Indies and could well come to light in the series against India. So far he’s been unable to set the T20I world alight with 109 runs from nine innings at an average of just 12. He produced a snippet of it during the Indian Premier League (IPL) where his 47-ball 75 helped beat Sunrisers Hyderabad while representing Royal Challengers Bangalore. But it is in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) that his abilities are more visible and well known. Playing for Guyana Warriors, he has 440 runs from 13 matches at an average of 36.66 and an incredible strike rate of 146.66. Carlos Brathwaite Brathwaite is not an unknown figure or new face in West Indian cricket. He was central to their triumph in 2016 against England in the final. Now he holds the captaincy duties and was one of the picks in the Windies squad at the World Cup. His 101 run knock against New Zealand drew Windies close but a late dismissal meant disappointment continued for them. As an allrounder, Brathwaite has the capabilities of coming in late and scoring big with some powerful hits. But it is the bowling department where he is more potent. With 31 wickets and a best of 3/20, he is crucial at getting key breakthroughs. Andre Russell Russell didn’t have a memorable World Cup. With the team floundering, Russell played through injury, had to hobble off and on the field before eventually pulling out for god with an injured knee. He then underwent successful surgery. All said and done, you can’t really rule him out of making an impact.

The little time off to recharge batteries is exactly the kind of thing the Kolkata Knight Riders allrounder needed. He was arguably the most explosive batsman during IPL 2019 with 510 runs from 14 matches but it couldn’t help the team beyond a fifth-place finish. Sunil Narine Sunil Narine hasn’t donned the West Indies jersey since 2017 when he played against England in September. Since then, with World Cup the focus, he hasn’t been part of the ODI plans either. Not surprisingly then, he didn’t feature in the World Cup. A finger injury didn’t help his chances either. “I would have loved to play in the World Cup,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “I have missed international cricket and I’ve missed representing West Indies. It’s where my heart lies." “But I don’t feel my finger is quite ready for ODI cricket. I can get through a T20 where I bowl just four overs. But even that isn’t easy and I need help from the physio. It’s holding me back from playing international cricket. I wouldn’t be able to do myself or the team justice.” He’s been difficult to read in T20 leagues across the globe but hasn’t had quite the same impact for the national team. He has only 50 wickets from 48 matches with best of 4/12 and average of 20.68. But one can’t put it past him to keep the flow of runs down as emphasised by his economy rate of 6.02. Sheldon Cottrell [caption id=“attachment_7099141” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Sheldon Cottrell with his trademark salute celebrations during the World Cup. AP[/caption] Sheldon Cottrell is a personality on the field. Beyond just his seam bowling, the left-arm bowler’s catchy salute celebrations are something to watch out for. His ability to angle the ball into and away from both sides of the wicket makes him a fearsome bowler. Cottrell hasn’t featured in the IPL just as yet but his recent appreciation of MS Dhoni on Twitter would help his popularity in India. And when he does come up for auction in the IPL, he should fetch the big numbers. In the CPL, he is the seventh most potent bowler with 57 wickets from 42 matches while playing for Antigua and St Kitts.